


A day in a bookstore

by Angelamore



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Books, Bookstores, Christmas, Christmas Presents, F/M, Muggle London, Muggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:07:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21668692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelamore/pseuds/Angelamore
Summary: Rose takes Scorpius shopping to Muggle London for a Christmas present.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley
Kudos: 18
Collections: Harry Potter - An Advent Calendar in Spells





	A day in a bookstore

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Dec 4 - Lumos

“Common! Let's go.” Rose called out towards Scorpius and beckoned him energetic.

She stood outside in the snow, next to the wall that separated the Wizarding World of London from the Muggle World. Her red hair was hidden under a beanie of the same colour and she was clad in jeans, a warm blue coat and white boots. She looked lovely and her smiling face was flushed from the cold.

Scorpius looked down at himself and wondered if he would pass. He rarely travelled into the Muggle World and had spend a lot of time searching his clothes for something suitable, just to buy something new yesterday. 

He wore a tapered white shirt over his jeans, combined with a long overcoat and a plaid scarf in matching green colours. He didn't like to stand out, so he had tried to stick with muted colours, something that proved difficult with muggle clothes. He had found jeans in every colour of the rainbow, shirt with strange figures on them and neon coloured coats. 

Shaking himself, he took the last few steps to join his girlfriend and hugged her. Rose smelled like she had just stepped out of a bakery. Sweet, with a hint of cinnamon and cardamom. He loved spend his time with her and savoured the moments when she was this close to him.  
“What took you so long?” She asked and nudged him to let go. Scorpius took a step back and smiled.

“Well, I wanted to look handsome for my pretty girlfriend.” He told her cheeky and laughed at her screed up nose. Rose only shook her head and didn't answer. She knew better than to oppose his big ego.

They went through the wall, after Rose had to try twice to open it, to find themselves in the middle of a very different London. Rose wanted to get a Christmas present for her mother and had decided to look for it in a very small bookstore she had once visited. Her mother had loved it there and Rose was sure she would find a perfect present.

On their way to said store they talked about their jobs, their plans to finally move in together soon, and the problem they had to find a flat. Most were to expensive for them to pay and Rose had forbidden Scorpius from using his families money. She wanted them to be able to pay it from their salary without struggling.

When the finally found the bookstore Rose got stuck on, they had walked the street up and down more than once.

“I'm sure it was here.” Rose had muttered. “I remember the red house with the star on the exterior wall, because mom explained it was a Jewish Star of David.” 

In the end they had found it two houses down on the opposite site. Upon entereing it didn't look to different from Flourish and Blotts to Scorpius.  
There were different topics available, but the store was also made of dark woods, with more books than the shelves could hold. Wherever you looked at, book would lay around. On the winding stairs next to the door, that could have lead to a second floor, on the carpet under the big table in the middle of the room and on top of the books that were neatly sorted onto the shelves.

“Welcome!” A female voice sounded out of the deeps of the store and a blond young woman smiled at them. She looked years to young to own this store, but one his eyes got used to the indoor light Scorpius could make out a second person behind her. The man looked at least twenty years older that her, with greying brown hair and glasses on his nose. He didn't seem to use them, as his eyes were fixed on the stack of paper in front of him, but it was clear he read them over the rim. He acknowledged them with a short nod of his head and then went back to focus on the work in front of him.

The blond woman was storing different book into stacks on her counter, but kept smiling their way. She didn't impose on them but made herself available. Her hair was a bit frizzy and she wore one of those pullovers with a strange print on them Scorpius had seen at the store yesterday. Two horns without a head, and a big red dot where the nose would have been. In large letters it read “Oh deer” and didn't make any sense to Scorpius, but he saw Rose smile when she read it. 

An old lady came out from behind a shelf and called out, which made the vendor hurry to her side. It made Scorpius wonder just how deep this shop was, he hadn't seen anyone beside the both of them and the two vendors until now.

Rose browsed the different shelves, searching for nothing in particular. She smiled to herself and Scorpius stayed back to observe her. As they wandered deeper into the store he started to notice more costumers.

A third vendor, smaller than the other woman and with even lighter blond hair tried to explain the difference between two guidebooks to a middle aged man that couldn't decide.

A mother tried to view the children picture books, while her small child tried to take them from her to do the same. Her second child was at a different shelf clearing it out undetected. 

A teenager boy argued with his father about a book called “Guinness World Record 2025” which made Scorpius wonder why there was a whole book about beer records, while the cover he got a glimpse of made him kind of sick. His grandparents had always argued that muggles were strange, but his mother made sure he didn't listen to them. When he saw the man on front of the book the boy held, he had to agree with his dead grandfather for a moment. Who in their right mind would pierce their whole body, including the face, with hundreds of piercings if they were in their right mind. It had to hurt like hell, he once asked Rose Uncle about that, because he found his piercings so cool.

Sadly stupidity was a part of his own family too, after all her grandfather and father had the tattoo to prove it. 

Going up behind his girlfriend Scorpius hugged her and tugged her head under his chin. Rose didn't say a word, and only leaned back into him, with the book in her hand still open. 

“Found anything yet?” He asked and eyed the other books she had stacked in front of the shelf. He had watched her add to the stack as she went from aisle to aisle.

“I think this one here could be good, but somehow I still hope for something better.” She told him and held up a dark brown book. Before Scorpius could read the title the light suddenly went out. 

He went still and pressed Rose to himself, unsure what went on.

“Oh, a power out.” Rose mumbled and Scorpius went for his wand. He cursed when he remembered that he had stowed it in his boots, because Rose had told him it would look strange to muggles if he wandered around with a stick in his pants. When he finally got it out he saw several lights coming from different directions.

“Lum –“ The rest of his spell was lost, because Rose pressed her hands over his mouth. 

“Are you crazy?” She whispered and looked around. “Put that thing away! Do you remember where we are?”

Scorpius looked around again and shook his head. “Everyone is using a light here, it wouldn't have stood out.”

“Scorpius! They are using smartphones to have that light. They can make photos with them and then we have a problem much bigger than you could ever imagine. Just one click and they can share it with thousands of people.” Rose scolded him, while her hands griped his collar.

“Ok, OK! I only understand half of what you tell me, but it has something to do with that imternet you told me about, right?”

“Internet, but yes. So hid that stick and wait it out. Things like this never take long. Just hug me and don't make any more stupid mistakes.” He could practically see her roll her eyes at him in the darkness.

Scorpius smiled and did as he was told, it was what he was best at anyway. It kept him in her good graces and made her reward him with a kiss in the dark, that turned into a right snog.

Suddenly the light came back on and blinded them, just to vanish again. The blond vendor they had met at door showed up a moment later with a big old lamp.

“Everyone ok?” She asked and looked around. “I am sorry for the missing light, but we can't figure out what caused it. The whole street is dark. Does anyone need help navigating to the front?”

A few costumers went towards her and followed her, as the lamp spend them more light than their small devices. A woman in her thirties just continued searching for books and ignored the offer for help much like they did. When the light of the lamp grazed her, it showed her smiling to herself, as if she had fun. 

Another two minutes later the light finally came back on for good. 

Scorpius watched Rose’s face light up when she finally found a book she deemed good enough for her mother another hour later. They hadn't talked much, but he had a book tugged under his arm too when they left the store. 

Outside he put his arm around his girlfriend and smiled down at her.

“Was this Christmas tree here before?” She asked him and he looked up. At the end of the street a big Christmas tree was light up and twinkled in the darkening afternoon.

“It's was caused the blackout. Have a nice day.” A voice from behind told them and they turned around the find the blond saleswoman smiling at them, before she went back inside.

Rose looked at the troublemaker and laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of an ongoing Advent Calendar.   
> A new story every day. Please check out the Collection for more information and stories.  
> Thank you!


End file.
